authority to set goals, guide debate, or prescribe
action. Although it is conceivable to think of party
doctrine as enshrined solely in terms of an oral record, the
existence of a written record seems necessary on a practical
basis to support doctrinism in party affairs. The most
essential element therefore is the existence of a written
literature said to embody party principles or governmental
philosophy. The more doctrinaire the party, the greater the
reference to this literature. In the most doctrinaire
parties, the function of interpreting the written record is
associated with a special party office, whose holder assumes
the role of party ideologist analogous to the role of a
priest or ordained minister in an organized religion.

While empirical relationships may obtain between party
"ideology" (as expressed in the issue orientation variables)
and "doctrinism," these relationships are a subject for data
analysis and are not assumed in conceptualizing this
variable. It is logically possible for a "leftist" or
"rightist" party to pursue its political objectives in a
relatively pragmatic manner, without seeking to justify its
actions in the light of a body of doctrine.

Operational Definition. The higher the score on
this variable, the more doctrinaire and less pragmatic the
party.

0

There is no
discernible written literature to which party
members refer in an effort to justify party
activities.

1

There is a
body of literature that can be said to embody
party doctrine, and references to it are common
but not continual.

2

There is a
body of literature that can be said to embody
party doctrine, and party members refer to it
continually.

3

There is a
body of literature that can be said to embody
party doctrine, party members refer to it
continually, and the party has a special role
for the authoritative interpretation of
doctrine.

Coding Results. Nearly all our parties could be
evaluated for reliance on party doctrine, as measured by
BVII05 and reported in Tables 12.5a and 12.5b. The
significant correlation of .35 between BV1105 and AC1105
indicates that we were more confident when claiming party
doctrine was important than when dismissing it as
unimportant. According to our survey of the situation, just
above half of the parties operate free of principles
enshrined in scripture. At the other extreme, one party in
ten not only refers to solemn writ but appeals for guidance
in interpreting the word from learned professors of party
literature.

TABLE 12.5a: Mid 1950s: BV11.05 Doctrinism

TABLE 12.5b: Early 1960s: BV11.05 Doctrinism

Basic Variable 11.06:
Personalism

Although political parties are generally assumed to
attract members and draw support on the basis of their
positions on government issues, some parties are composed of
members who are united more in support of a given candidate
than in support of a given issue or set of issues. Speaking
of Latin American parties in particular, Edelmann observes
that the primary basis for most political parties in that
area of the world is "personalism--the intense, unswerving
allegiance to a dynamic leader." He states, "So strong has
been the influence of leaders that most parties are
identified by their names rather than by the official names
of the parties" (1969, p. 350).

Personalism is another motivational basis for involvement
in party activities. It might be included under a broad
interpretation of "purposive incentives" (see variable
11.04), if the "purpose" of the party were interpreted as
advancing the political fortunes of the party leader. But
this interpretation is rejected to keep policy content
uppermost in the purposive incentives variable.

Care was taken to distinguish between the natural
tendency of party members to favor their own candidates over
those of the opposition at election time. We are in-